Lindberg Nets Hat Trick, but Ranger Prospects Lose in OT

Sep 6, 2013

(Photo courtesy of BlueshirtsUnited.com)

The New York Ranger prospect team fought back from a 5-2 third-period deficit Friday at the Traverse City, MI NHL Prospects Tournament, only to drop a 6-5 overtime decision to the Buffalo Sabres prospects.

The overtime defeat dropped the Ranger team’s record at the tournament to 0-1-1.

Oscar Lindberg scored a hat trick for the Rangers, giving him four goals in two games in the tournament, Danny Kristo had a goal and two assists and Josh Graves tied the game at five with an unassisted goal at 13:40 of the third period. Nicholas Baptiste had two goals and an assist for Buffalo, Eric Locke struck for a goal and three assists and Nikita Zadorov scored twice, including the game-winner with 23 seconds remaining in overtime.

Former Yale Eli national champion Jeff Malcolm got the call in goal for the Rangers, making 33 saves, and Andrey Makarov had 27 stops for the Sabres.

After a scoreless first period, Lindberg gave the Rangers their first lead of the tournament with a power-play goal 4:58 into the second, but Buffalo answered with three scores before the end of the second session. Baptiste found the net at 8:10 and set up Zadorov for a power-play goal at 10:50, and Logan Nelson gave the Sabres a two-goal edge at 16:02.

Lindberg notched his second of the game at the 5:59 mark of the third session to cut the lead to 3-2, but Baptiste and Locke replied for Buffalo with goals only 17 seconds apart starting at 9:24.

Then, however, it was New York’s turn to display a quick-strike offense, as Kristo (11:38), Lindberg (13:19) and Graves (13:40) all beat Makarov within a span of 2:02 to tie the score.

Wolf Pack head coach Ken Gernander’s Ranger team is next in action Sunday at 6:30 PM, when the squad battles the Columbus Blue Jackets prospects.

Click here for a box score of Friday’s game, courtesy of Pointstreak.com.